Does your child…
- Struggle to sit still at the table, constantly wriggling or sliding off their chair?
- Mix up left and right when following instructions?
- Find handwriting, tying shoelaces, or catching a ball harder than their classmates?
- Lose their place when reading or rub their eyes after only a few minutes of homework?
- Seem unusually sensitive to noise, light, or the tags on clothing?
If you’ve noticed some of these signs, it may not be because your child isn’t trying hard enough. Sometimes, the reason lies in something called retained primitive reflexes—early movement patterns from babyhood that never fully switched off.
Why Are Retained Primitive Reflexes Important for the Eyes?
You might wonder why an optometry clinic cares about primitive reflexes. The reason is simple: these reflexes play a big role in how the eyes learn to move, focus, and work together. When they don’t integrate properly, children may struggle with:
- Binocular vision function – ability to efficiently use both eyes together as a team.
- Eye tracking – smoothly following a line of text when reading.
- Hand-eye coordination – catching a ball, copying from the board, or writing neatly.
In other words, retained reflexes can directly interfere with a child’s ability to learn in the classroom, even if their eyesight itself is normal. That’s why we test for them as part of our visual assessments.
What Are Primitive Reflexes?
Primitive reflexes are automatic movements babies are born with to help them survive and grow in their first year of life. For example, babies grip your finger tightly if you touch their palm, or they flail their arms if startled by a loud noise.
Normally, these reflexes disappear by around 12 months of age as the brain and nervous system mature. But sometimes, they linger longer than they should. When this happens, we call them retained primitive reflexes.
Why Do These Reflexes Stay?
There’s no single cause, but common reasons include:
- Complicated or premature birth – Babies born prematurely or after a difficult delivery may not have the same opportunities to develop and integrate reflexes in those crucial early months. Stress during birth can also affect how the nervous system matures.
- Missed developmental milestones – Milestones such as tummy time and crawling are important steps in helping the brain and body connect. For example, crawling helps strengthen the communication between the right and left sides of the brain. If a child skips crawling, or has very little tummy time, some reflexes may remain “switched on.”
- Frequent illness or ear infections – Ongoing health issues can interfere with brain and body development. For instance, chronic ear infections can disrupt balance, coordination, and sensory input, which may make it harder for reflexes to integrate on time.
- Limited active play – Physical play such as climbing, rolling, jumping, and balancing used to be a natural part of childhood. Today, children often spend more time sitting indoors with screens, which means fewer chances to build the motor skills needed to integrate reflexes.
- Slower brain maturity – Every child develops at their own pace. For some, the nervous system simply takes longer to fully mature. This can mean reflexes linger past the age they usually disappear, and may affect coordination, attention, or learning.
In addition, children with certain medical conditions or developmental disorders are more likely to show retained primitive reflexes. For example, children with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, genetic syndromes, or other neurological conditions may experience delays in reflex integration. These conditions can affect how the brain and body communicate, making it harder for reflexes to naturally switch off.
How Do Retained Reflexes Affect Everyday Life?
When primitive reflexes don’t fully integrate, they can quietly interfere with how a child moves, learns, and behaves. Parents often notice things like:
- Clumsiness and poor balance – A child may trip often, bump into things, or shy away from sports and playground activities that require coordination. Retained primitive reflexes can get in the way of advanced motor development, making it harder for children to learn how to control their body smoothly. This isn’t simply “being uncoordinated”—when reflexes remain active, they interfere with posture, balance, and spatial awareness, so even everyday activities like climbing stairs, riding a bike, or standing still in line can feel more challenging.
- Messy handwriting and fatigue – Writing may feel like a huge effort because the eyes and hands aren’t working smoothly together. Children might tire quickly, hold the pencil awkwardly, or produce cramped, uneven handwriting.
- Difficulty reading – Skipping words, losing their place on the page, or needing to use a finger to track each line are common signs. This happens because retained reflexes can interfere with smooth eye movements and the eyes’ ability to work together as a team.
- Restlessness in class – Constant squirming, fidgeting, or sitting in unusual postures (like wrapping their legs around the chair) may actually be a way of compensating. The child’s body is trying to find comfort or stability against the pull of a reflex that hasn’t switched off.
- Emotional ups and downs – Overreacting to noise, bright lights, or stress can also be linked. Retained reflexes sometimes keep the nervous system in a “high alert” state, making it harder for a child to regulate emotions.
The 6 Most Common Retained Reflexes
These are the reflexes we test most often in clinic and how they can show up in everyday life:
- Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex)
- Impact: The Moro reflex is the baby’s “fight-or-flight” response to sudden movement or loud sounds. If it remains active, the child may live in a state of high alert, which makes it harder to stay calm and focused.
- Signs: Jumpy or anxious in busy classrooms, easily distracted by noise, difficulty settling into tasks, frequent emotional outbursts or meltdowns.
- ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex)
- Impact: This reflex links head movement with arm and leg movement. If it doesn’t integrate, eye and hand coordination across the midline of the body becomes tricky. This directly affects reading, writing, and sports.
- Signs: Poor or inconsistent handwriting, tilting the head while writing, avoiding crossing the midline (e.g., switching hands at the centre of the page), awkward ball skills.
- STNR (Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex)
- Impact: This reflex helps babies learn to crawl, but if it persists, sitting upright and coordinating near-far vision (like looking between the board and the desk) becomes difficult.
- Signs: Slouching over the desk, fidgeting to get comfortable, awkward sitting posture (e.g., kneeling on the chair or wrapping legs around it), difficulty copying from the board.
- Spinal Galant Reflex
- Impact: This reflex links spinal movement with hip rotation, which helps babies during birth. If retained, it creates sensitivity along the lower back, making sitting still very uncomfortable.
- Signs: Constant wriggling or sliding in the chair, reacting strongly to waistbands, belts, or clothing tags, sometimes associated with bedwetting due to the reflex triggering the bladder.
- Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR)
- Impact: TLR affects balance, posture, and muscle tone. If it stays active, children may struggle with controlling body position in space, which affects coordination and physical confidence.
- Signs: Trips easily, avoids sports or climbing equipment, poor coordination, weak muscle tone, difficulty judging distance or direction.
- Palmar Reflex
- Impact: This reflex links hand movement with mouth movement in babies. If it remains, fine motor control of the hand doesn’t fully develop, making everyday tasks more effortful.
- Signs: Poor pencil grip, messy or laboured handwriting, struggles with scissors, buttons, shoelaces, or other fine motor activities.
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How Can We Support Children with Retained Primitive Reflexes?
- The good news is that retained reflexes can be worked on. With the right activities and therapy, children can learn to integrate these reflexes and build stronger foundations for learning and movement.
- For young children with only mild reflex retention, joining classes like Gymbaroo, kids’ yoga, or other movement-based programs can help encourage general motor development and support reflex integration in a fun way.
- For school-aged children who are more noticeably affected by retained reflexes, the best results usually come from structured daily practice at home with guidance from a therapist. In our clinic, we sometimes incorporate reflex integration activities into our vision therapy programs when it’s appropriate, especially if the retained reflexes are contributing to visual difficulties.
- That said, reflex work is not our primary area of expertise. If a child’s main concern is primitive reflexes, or if they have more significant retention, we may recommend working with practitioners who specialise in this area—such as an occupational therapist, chiropractor, or physiotherapist. We can guide families to trusted professionals we know who can provide targeted support.
Conclusion
Retained primitive reflexes can affect much more than movement—they can influence your child’s confidence, concentration, and learning at school. If your child struggles with reading, writing, or attention despite having good eyesight, reflexes may be part of the puzzle.
At our clinic, we may include reflex testing as part of our comprehensive visual and learning assessments. With the right mix of in-office therapy and fun home activities, children can build stronger foundations for learning, focus, and everyday life.